3 Brothers Cleared In Apparent Arson

Three brothers suspected in the apparent arson of a Fort Lauderdale print shop were cleared Friday when federal charges against them were dismissed, according to their attorney and a court official.

Redha Hassan, a Fort Lauderdale anesthesiologist, and his brothers, Nouri and Ali, were arrested last spring in connection with a passport forgery conspiracy. The brothers were not indicted for forgery and, with the dismissal of the arson charges, have been cleared of all charges related to the FBI investigation, attorney Roger B. Colton said.

The investigation focused on Salah Jawad Shubber, 34, who was charged with offering a Fort Lauderdale printer $120,000 to forge 2,000 Iraqi passports.

On Thursday, Shubber pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was ordered out of the country for five years.